Bandage



Spt. 11, 1962 G. J. 1.11.0111 ETAL BANDAGE Filed Feb /awer A ATTO R N EY United States Patent on...

3,953,253 Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,053,253 7 BANDAGE Gerald J. Liloia, New Brunswick, George A. Crowe, Jn,

Plainfield, and Henry L. Beidler, Princeton, N.J., asiignors to Johnson & Johnson, a corporation of New ersey Filed Feb. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 791,021 8 Claims. (Cl. 128-156) The present invention relates to bandages and more particularly to bandages suitable for use as underwrappings for casts and the like.

It is frequently desirable when a limb is immobilized by placing it in a plaster cast or where a joint, such as a sprained ankle, is immobilized or supported by wrapping with adhesive tape to place next to the skin a cushioning material to protect the enclosed area from undue soreness resulting from the plaster cast or the tightly wrapped adhesive tape pressing on the Wrapped member. The underwrap, when placed under casts, also protects the patient when the surgeon is cutting the cast prior to its removal since the softer nature of the underwrap and its tendency to drag on the cutter warns the surgeon when he has cut through the plaster cast before any damage occurs to the skin.

The protective underwrap is preferably applied in the form of a bandage which is wrapped around the member prior to application of the cast or adhesive tape Wrapping. It is important that the surface of the wrapping after application follow closely the contour of the wrapped limb and be of substantially uniform thickness so that when the cast is applied it will also follow closely the limb contour and prevent any movement of the bone structure within the cast. Also, continuing pressure at any one point can not only become exceedingly painful but may cause ulceration. It is important that the underwrap conform as nearly as possible to the surface contour of the limb wrapped and be free from any wrinkle or gathering. Where the cushioning material is in the form of a bandage roll and is applied by wrapping the bandage around the limb to be confined, it is also necessary that the bandage material have a sufiiciently high tensile strength to permit its being wrapped snugly around the injured member, a tensile strength in the lengthwise direction of the bandage of at least 100 grams per inch of width being required for this purpose and preferably in excess of 150 grams per inch width. Cotton batting is highly conformable and may be used as cushioning material under casts. However, the batting does not have suificient tensile strength to permit its use in the form of a bandage strip which is applied from a roll and wrapped around the injured member in successive layers until the desired thickness of under cushioning is obtained. On the other hand, fabrics of the type usually used for blandage materials which have substantially higher tensile strengths are generally not sufficiently conforming to enable a wrinkle-free wrap over ankles, wrists, etc., to be obtained, which closely conforms to the wrapped surface.

Besides having the ability to conform closely to the wrapped surface, an ideal Wrapping should be soft yet highly resilient, readily permeable by air so that some aeration under the cast can be obtained, and absorbent so as to remove perspiration and other body exudate from the skin surface.

It is an object of the present invention to prepare rolls of readily conforming bandaging material suitable for the underwrapping of limbs prior to the immobilization of the limbs with plaster casts, adhesive tape wrappings and the like. It is a further object to prepare bandage strips of highly conformable resilient material having sufiicient tensile strength to permit the obtaining of firm, uniform wraps. It is a still further object to prepare bandage rolls of soft, resilient, self-clinging material in which the bandage material remains in roll form because of its self-clinging nature until the roll is intentionally unwound. It is a further object to prepare rolls of bandage material having a low resistance to air flow therethrough and a high liquid capacity.

It has been discovered that these and other objects and advantages are realized if the bandage material is prepared by needling a web of hydrophilic fibers having a length of about 1 to 3 inches and a denier of about 1 to 5.5. The hydrophilic fibers generally preferred are cellulosic fibers including the cellulose derivatives. However, other hydrophilic fibers may also be used so long as the fibers are not formed of a material irritating to the skin. The needling is done with a plurality of needles having fine barbs on their shanks. These are passed down through the carded web; the barbs catching on fibers on their way down and carrying these fibers downwardly through the body of the web to mechanically interlock the whole body of fibers. The nature of the final product is, of course, dependent on the degree to which the needling has been carried out. It has been found that for a satisfactory bandage there should be at least 90, and preferably not less than about 125, needle penetrations per square inch. Generally, the concentration of penetrations should not exceed about 400 per square inch since this only results in breaking of the fibers with no improvement in the desirable characteristics of the fabric. Fabrics prepared in this manner are hereinafter referred to as needle loomed fabrics.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of the bandage material;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a partially unrolled bandage roll of the self-clinging bandage material;

FIG. 4 illustrates an underwrap of the self-clinging bandage material applied to the arm prior to applying a cast; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a patients arm with bandage underwrap and cast applied.

As previously stated, in order for the bandage wraping to be satisfactory it must have a tensile strength in the lengthwise direction of at least grams per inch of width This tensile strength is on the basis of a pull rate movement of 1.5 inches per minute. The tensile strength indicates the weight required for complete separation of fabric. All hydrophilic fibers when needle loomed will not give fabrics having tensile strength as high as 100 grams per inch of width. The tensile strength of needle loomed fabrics prepared from these fibers can be improved by blending with the fibers other fibers which give a stronger inter-fiber bond, such as rayon fibers having a low lubricant content as described in my co-pending application Serial No. 791,049, filed of even date, or thermoplastic fibers where the needled fabric is heated after forming to permit the thermoplastic fibers to soften and bond to adjacent non-thermoplastic fibers so as to increase the over-all tensile strength of the bandage. Where a fiber-to-fiber bond is obtained, as through the inclusion of thermoplastic fibers, with the later heating of the fabric to soften the same, the conformability of the fabric is somewhat reduced, this reduction of conformability becoming more and more pronounced with increasing thermoplastic fiber content. The

thermoplastic fiber should therefore only be included to the degree necessary to obtain the desired tensile strength and should generally not exceed about 20% by weight of the total fiber content. Among thermoplastic fibers suitable for this purpose are Vinyon, polyethylene, polypropylene and vinylidene chloride fibers, such as Saran. Fibers should not be included which may cause irritation to the patient. Natural wool, for example, is a filter well-known to have excellent mechanical interlocking properties. However, many people show a skin sensitivity to wool, and its inclusion should accordingly be avoided.

The tensile strength may also be increased by including longitudinally running threads or a low count gauze. The preferred bandages with respect to conformability, however, are those in which the tensile strength of the fabric is dependent primarily on the mechanical interlocking of the fibers.

The preferred needle loomed bandage material is that made from cellulosic fibers, such as low lubricant long fiber cotton and low lubricant regenerated cellulose fibers in accordance with our co-pending application Serial No. 791,049, filed February 4, 1959 heretofore referred to. Regenerated cellulose fibers found to be particularly suitable are those made of viscose rayon and particularly viscose rayon that has a permanent crimp imparted to it.

Referring to the drawings, a strip 1 of needle loomed bandage material is formed of fibers which are mechanically interlocked to form a resilient, self-clinging fiber mat.. An examination of a cross section of the needle loomed bandage strips under a microscope shows the bandage to be formed primarily of longitudinally extending fibers 2 bound together by fibers 3 extending down through the fabric, the whole body of fibers being mechanically interlocked and bound together with numerous openings or cells between. This is best illustrated in FIG. 2. It is apparently this structure together with the hydrophilic nature of the fibers that gives the fabric its low resistance to air flow and its high fluid capacity. The downwardly extending fibers resist flattening of the fabric and maintain its soft resilient characteristics. They also aid in absorption, through capillary action, of fluids from any surface with which the fabric is in contact, these downwardly protruding fibers acting as a wick to draw surface fluids, such as perspiration, back into the main body of the bandage wrap.

The needle loomed bandage material has a strong tendency to cling to itself. This is of great assistance in wrapping an injured limb as illustrated in FIG. 4. If the roll 4 should slip from the hand while bandaging, the bandage will stay in the roll form after the roll has reached the floor or other fiat surface and not continue to unroll, as do conventional bandage materials. Also, as the needle loomed bandage material is wrapped around the limb, each new wrap clings to the wrappings below, the edges as well as the main body of the wrap adhering to the lower wrappings to give a continuous build-up of the bandage with no opening or wrinkling that might later cause discomfort. Furthermore, the wrapping remains in place once applied without tying or otherwise securing until the cast or adhesive tape wrap is applied.

The manner in which the bandage underwrap protects the patients limb from the cast is best illustrated in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, it will be noted that the bandage underwrap 1 between the patients arm 5 and the plaster cast 6 completely protects the patients arm from the cast. The importance of avoiding wrinkles in the underwrap and the discomfort that they can cause is apparent. I

The bandage should not have a thickness of more than about A; inch and preferably has a thickness of about V to inch as measured on a Randall-Stickney Gauge having a dead load dial micrometer. The measurements are made under no load conditions; however,

the weight of the movement is 56.70 grams on an 1.0 square inch area. It has been found that with thicknesses of about this order, the edges of individual wraps are less prominent, giving a more uniform wrapping while the bandage strip still has sufficient body to have the desirable compressive and cushioning properties which make it so well suited for underwrappings. Where the thickness of the needle loomed bandage strip is much in excess of A: inch, measured in the manner above stated, the bandage is found to be less conforming, more difiicult to use and gives a final wrapping which has a substantially less uniform surface.

The needle loomed bandages of the present invention are not limited in their use to underwrappings for plaster casts and adhesive tape wrappings. They may be used for the direct wrapping of wounds or may be used as an overwrap, providing an absorbent air-permeable covering for primary dressings on burns or other surgical lesions associated with relatively large amounts of wound exudate. The bandages also olfer an advantage where it is desirable to quickly apply a relatively thick resilient protective dressing in the form of a wrap and are well suited for first-aid type usage.

The ability of the bandage to cling to itself and its high degree of conformability make it easy to apply and result in complete coverage of the wrapped area, the edges of the bandage clinging to lower wraps to form a continuous unbroken covering. If a wet dressing is required, where it is necessary to apply liquid medication continuously to infected wounds or to acute exudative skin diseases, the bandage may be applied in any desired thickness and then kept moistened with whatever medication is most appropriate.

The following example will help to further illustrate the practice of the present invention:

Example A carded web of 3 /2 ounces per square yard weight is prepared from a 3.0 denier, 1%" staple length, crimped viscose rayon fiber. The carded web is fed into a needle loom having 4.4 needles on the needling board per square inch. The web is intermittently passed through the loom at an over-all linear speed of inches per minute and the needle board is oscillated so as to press the needles through the fabric 600 times per minute, giving an overall needling of 184 punches per square inch. The forward movement of the web is stopped during each penetration of the needles. The needles are about .026 inch in diameter, each containing 9 barbs slanted so as to catch the fibers on the downward stroke. The stripper plate of the needle loom is set /2 inch above the bed plate.

The physical characteristics of a resulting fabric after being prepared in the form of an orthopedic felt bandage roll are as follows:

Weight of fabric per sq. yd 65 grams. Thickness (1):

No load .038 inch. Load .030 inch. Softness (2) 26.6 percent. Water retentivity (3) 3120 percent. Tensile strength (4):

Warpwise grams/inch of width 218. Total elongation (5) 33 percent.

The measurement for the values are made in the following way:

(1) Thickness.Thickness is measured with a dead load dial micrometer. Under no load conditions, the weight of the movement is 56.70 grams on 1.0 sq. inch. Under load conditions, the weight of the movement is 454 grams on 1.0 sq. inch.

(2) Softness.The thickness of the sample is measured with the dead load dial micrometer under no load conditions (56.70 gms./sq inch) and with a weight of 454 grams. Softness is equal to the difference in thickness expressed as a percentage of the thickness under a 454-gram load. Substantially total recovery to dead load thickness is obtained on removal of the 454-gram load.

(3) Water Retentivity.-Samples having an area of 16.0 sq. in. are immersed in water at 25 C.i1 C. for seconds. The samples are then removed, allowed to drain for 10 seconds and then weighed.

Retentivity (in percent) Weight of water in wet sample X 100 Weight of dry fiber in sample (4) Tensile Strength-Breaking strength is measured on strips cut to 1 x 5". A Thwing-Albert Hydraulic Tensile Tester is used, the jaw setting being 3 inches and the pull speed being 1 /2 inches per minute.

( Total El0ngati0n.Elongation (in percent) length at breakoriginal length X 100 original length The fabric is highly permeable to air, has a soft feel and is quite resilient when compressed, giving a good cushioning effect. When a strip of the fabric is wrapped around the ankle of a wearer, the fabric is found to conform readily, bending around the projecting ankle bone and giving a smooth, clean fit with no wrinkles. The fabric clings readily to itself so that as it is wrapped it remains in position without any sliding or falling off, thus avoiding the necessity of a continuous pull being applied during the whole wrapping procedure. Also, the edges of the bandage cling to and blend well with the lower laps, giving a relatively smooth, uniform surface.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a bandage roll, a strip of bandage material formed of a self-clinging comformable nonwoven fabric, each convolution of said bandage roll being adhered to the adjacent convolution through the self-clinging nature of said fabric strip, said strip of self-clinging, non-woven fabric consisting essentially of a web of mechanically interlocked hydrophilic fibers wherein the fibers are not twisted together by spinning into the form of threads and wherein said unspun fibers have a length of between 1 to 3 inches and a denier of 1 to 5.5, wherein the fibers while in the dry state are mechnically interlocked by some of the unspun fibers having been mechanically forced through the web so as to have a portion thereof extending downwardly through the same, said downwardly extending unspun fibers acting to interlock the whole body of fibers together, said fabric having a tensile strength in the lengthwise direction of at least 100 grams per inch Width and a thickness of not substantially more than about /3 inch.

2. A bandage roll of claim 1 in which the synthetic hydrophilic fibers are cellulosic fibers.

3. A bandage roll of claim 2 in which the cellulosic fibers are of the group consisting of natural fibers and regenerated cellulose fibers.

4. A bandage roll of claim 3 in which the cellulosic hydrophilic fibers are viscose rayon.

5. A bandage roll of claim 4 in which the rayon fibers possess a permanent crimp.

6. In a roll a strip of bandage material formed of a self-clinging conformable non-woven fabric, each convolution of said bandage roll being adhered to the adjacent convolution through the self-clinging nature of said fabric strip, said strip of self-clinging, non-woven fabric consisting essentially of a web of mechanically interlocked hydrophilic fibers wherein the fibers are not twisted together by spinning into the form of threads and wherein said unspun fibers have a fiber length of 1 to 3 inches and a denier of 1 to 5.5, wherein the fibers are mechanically held together by from 25 to of the fibers of said web having at least a portion thereof passing down through the remaining fibers to hold said fibers together said downwardly extending portion of said fibers having been mechanically forced into their downward extending position while said fibers are in a dry state, said bandage material having a tensile strength in the lengthwise direction in excess of grams per inch width and a thickness of not substantially more than about Ms inch.

7. A bandage roll of claim 6 wherein said fibers are cellulosic fibers of the group consisting of natural fibers and regenerated cellulose fibers.

8. A bandage roll of claim 1 in which the web of interlocked fibers contains threads extending lengthwise of said web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 689,808 Johnson Dec. 24, 1901 2,214,124 Dreyfus Sept. 10, 1940 2,249,888 Dodge July 22, 1941 2,341,620 Jackson Feb. 15, 1944 2,447,403 Brady July 26, 1949 2,528,793 Secrist Nov. 7, 1950 2,625,733 'Secrist Jan. 20, 1953 2,730,478 Morgan Jan. 10, 1956 2,840,881 Bateman July 1, 1958 

1. IN A BANDAGE ROLL, A STRIP OF BANDAGE MATERIAL FORMED OF A SELF-CLINGING CONFORMABLE NON-WOVEN FABRIC, EACH CONVOLUTION OF SAID BANDAGE ROLL BEING ADHERED TO THE ADJACENT CONVOLUTION THROUGH THE SELF-CLINGING NATURE OF SAID FABRIC STRIP, SAID STRIP OF SELF-CLINGING, NON-WOVEN FABRIC CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A WEB OF MECHANICALLY INTERLOCKED HYDROPHILIC FIBERS WHEREIN THE FIBERS ARE NOT TWISTED TOGETHER BY SPINNING INTO THE FORM OF THREADS AND WHEREIN SAID UNSPUN FIBERS HAVE A LENGTH OF BETWEEN 1 TO 3 INCHES AND A DENIER OF 1 TO 5.5, WHEREIN THE FIBERS WHILE IN THE DRY STATE ARE MECHANICALLY INTERLOCKED BY SOME OF THE 